Snapshots: Life In Hawaii
by trekkingalong
Summary: An ongoing collection of unrelated short stories, drabbles, and episode tidbits featuring the whole team, Grace, and various guest stars.  Enjoy!
1. Down For The Count

Author's Note: "Snapshots: Life In Hawaii" is an ongoing collection of unrelated short stories, drabbles, and episode tidbits that aren't really long enough to warrant standalone story posts of their own. "Our Nightly Routine" and "So Many Treats" probably would have gone here as well if I'd thought of the idea earlier. Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed thus far. You've all been very gracious. I hope you enjoy the collection!

* * *

"Think we should wake him up?"

Standing next to his cousin with his arms crossed, Chin Ho shook his head silently. "We'll catch hell for it later but he needs the sleep," he added.

Danny rounded the corner in a hurry, a piece of paper clutched in his hand. "We got an address on Haynes."

Kono and Chin looked up sharply.

Danny stopped in his tracks. He took one look at them then shifted his gaze to the figure on the couch. "He's still asleep?" he asked in disbelief. "Somebody ought to wake him up."

Kono smiled, given the conversation she'd just had with Chin. "Somebody ought to take him to a doctor. Look at him."

Oblivious to the exchange taking place next to him, Steve slept feverishly on the only full length sofa in the office. He'd stretched out hours ago while reading a file. His eyes had slid shut minutes later.

Danny eventually passed the paper to Chin and disappeared into his office without a word of explanation. He reemerged shortly after with a fluffy pink blanket and draped it over his boss. It proclaimed in sparkly silver, "Princess Power". Feeling eyes on him, he looked up. An obviously amused Kono and Chin were glancing at him expectantly.

The detective suddenly felt sheepish. "What? I got it for Grace!"

"Sure you did, Bruddah," Chin teased.

"What? I did. But I don't get her again until Friday."

The cousins continued to smirk. Danny knew it was time to deflect the conversation.

"You wanna back me up?" he asked Chin, gesturing to the paper in his hand. "Normally I'd take Sleeping Beauty here-"

"Let's do it."

On their way out, Danny paused and turned back for a second. Kono was still standing over Steve. "Take pictures," he called back.

She knew where this was going. "So you can blackmail him?"

"Hell ya."

Chin shook his head before exiting. "You are so dead."


	2. Good Guys, Bad Guys

"Can I catch bad guys too?"

The question caught Danny off guard. "Can you catch- No," he said in no uncertain terms.

Grace didn't seem at all discouraged. "_You _do it."

"Yeah but I've been trained to do it," he countered.

"I could be trained," she stated.

His daughter… A cop. The thought broke his brain. "Can we not talk about this?"

"Isn't catching bad guys good?"

"Of course it's good. It's just-" He searched for the right words.

She waited patiently.

"It's dangerous," he said, settling on the truth.

"I'll be careful!"

Danny just smiled. "I'm sure you would."


	3. Advice Freely Given

"What happened?"

Steve crouched down in front of her, his arm still in a sling. "I got ran over by a tourist," he said with a straight face.

Grace giggled. "No, you didn't."

He feigned thought for a moment before putting forth another explanation. "I fell off Kono's surf board."

"Nuh-uh!"

"I walked into a wall."

She laughed again.

He paused, his expression growing more serious. "I let some guy get the drop on me."

She didn't entirely understand but she knew it was the truth. "You should be more careful."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I think that's good advice."


	4. Adjusting

"I wish daddy liked it here." 

Kono regarded Grace sympathetically as they sat on their surfboards. "Give it time, sweetie. He'll get used to it."

"Are you sure?"

"Some people just take longer than others," she explained.

"It didn't take _me_ this long." Suddenly Grace felt guilty. She hadn't meant to criticize.

Kono smiled. "Just remember something, okay? Your dad didn't come to Hawaii for the surf and the sand."

Grace thought about it for a second then glanced back over her shoulder at her father, who was sitting uncomfortably on the beach. Immediately he waved.

"He came for you."


	5. Priorities

"What do you mean you're not watching the game?" Steve asked, incredulously.

"I'm not watchin' the game," Danny repeated.

"You call yourself a baseball fan?"

Danny bit his tongue.

"The Giants could take the series tonight."

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious, for pointing that out."

"You watched the first four games but you're not watching this one? I don't get it."

"Can I write that down on the calendar?"

"You value your fingers?"

Danny paused on his way out of the office and took a deep breath. "Grace gets her first surfing lesson today."

There was instant understanding. "I'll record it."


	6. Body Parts

"That's gross," Kono declared distastefully. She picked up and inspected the piece of chocolate left on her desk. It was wrapped in tin foil with a depiction of a mutilated body part printed on it.

Chin leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at the chipped and crooked teeth. "You should see mine. I got a hairy ear."

Kono made a face.

Just then, the boss came out of his office with something in his hand. "Who left the-"

"Danny," the other two said in unison.

An amused expression grew on his face. "He gave me the finger."


	7. Scars

"Do you think you and Mom would have gotten back together if she hadn't married Stan?"

Danny glanced sidelong at her as they walked. "No," he answered truthfully.

"Why not?"

His pace slowed. A second later, he stopped and crouched down in front of her.

"Your mom and I… We fought a lot. About lots of different things."

Grace held his gaze. "I remember. You used to yell a lot."

It was Danny who broke eye contact first.

"Mrs. Ichiyama says that you can always say you're sorry."

Danny met her gaze again. "Some things take more than an apology."


	8. Heredity

"Your grandfather got wise to what was going on. So the next day, he showed up an hour earlier. Sure enough the galley fan was on. The lights too. Four juniors were sitting there, passing around a joint. They all popped to. The guy who got stuck with it tried to hide it behind his back," Boatswain's Mate Ed McKay recalled, chuckling.

Steve listened to the story with a smile on his face.

"He said if he ever caught them doing it again, he'd shove their sorry asses overboard. They all knew he was crazy enough to do it, too."


	9. On This Day We Remember

Author's Notes: The words in all caps are from the actual memorial above the U.S.S. Arizona.

* * *

"TO THE MEMORY OF THE GALLENT MEN

HERE ENTOMBED AND THEIR SHIPMATES

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN ACTION

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941 ON THE U.S.S. ARIZONA"

One by one the announcer read their names. Civilians listened in silence. Active military stood at attention. LCDR Steve McGarrett, USN, was among them. At his back he felt a familiar presence. A discreet glance over his shoulder revealed Danny Williams, clad in his dress blues. Chin and Kono were with him. Brief eye contact was exchanged and a silent message was delivered. On this day of remembrance, they were here to support him.


	10. Hawaii In A Heartbeat

"What are you doing here?"

Steve shrugged and glanced around the baggage claim area. "I like hanging out at airports," he responded with a straight face.

Danny smiled as he grabbed his bag off the carousel. "Anybody ever tell you you have strange habits?"

"This coming from the man who thinks wearing a tie is normal."

"Wearing a tie _is _normal."

"Not here it's not."

Danny made a sweeping gesture with his free hand. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

"It's good to see you, too," Steve said truthfully. He extended his hand out.

His partner shook it readily. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Steve shrugged again. "The usual."

"The usual," Danny echoed, dubiously.

"Yeah, the usual."

"There _is _no 'usual'."

"Yeah, there is. Car chases. International plots of murder and intrigue. Hostage situations," Steve immediately supplied in a nonchalant manner.

"Don't forget armed conflict," Danny added, making note of a fresh bandage on Steve's arm.

"Yeah, that sort of thing."

"Remind me again why I came back," he countered flippantly as they started their trek toward the car.

"Because you love it here. And you'd miss me."

"Grace, yes. You? No."

Steve beamed. It felt easy and natural to fall back into their regular banter. "How was Jersey?" he finally asked.

It was Danny's turn to shrug. His gaze instantly fell.

His change in body language didn't go unnoticed. "Not what you thought it would be?"

The New Jersey native had spent most of the trip back trying to answer that very question. He wasn't about to admit it though. There were still too many emotions to work through. "Nah, it was fine," he lied.

"That's not your 'fine' face."

He shot him a look. "I don't have a 'fine' face."

"Yeah, you do."

"No, I _don't_."

"You want me to drop it?"

"Yes, I want you to drop it."

"Okay. This is me dropping it."

The rest of the short walk to the car was passed in silence. When they arrived, Steve automatically popped the trunk. Danny dropped his suitcase in without comment. It was the lack of eye contact that bothered his partner. By the time Steve settled in behind the wheel, Danny was buckled in but his gaze was distant and unfocused.

Steve didn't bother to start the car. Nor did he speak. He just looked over at Danny expectantly, knowing the conversation had really yet to begin.

Danny reached up and took down the postcard secured to the visor. The picture of Grace came next. He stared at them both for a long moment. Steve waited patiently out of respect.

"It wasn't-" He cut himself off, rubbing a hand down over his mouth. When he started again, his voice was steadier. "I expected it to be the same."

When he didn't continue, Steve prompted him. "But it wasn't."

"I felt like a damn tourist in my own hometown," he admitted, his voice touched with disgust.

Steve smirked.

"What?" he demanded.

"Welcome home, Danno."


	11. Adrift

Danny drifted. As the waves buffeted his body, his mind pieced together disjointed imagery. Daydreams mixed with reality to produce an immeasurable passage of time. At least he was more comfortable now. The shivering had stopped. The panic had settled. Thoughts of what swam beneath him had vanished. At this particular moment, he really didn't mind the sea. That fact alone should have been enough to alert him. It went unrecognized. He closed his eyes to sleep.

The faint sound of rhythmic thumping intruded upon his serenity. It grew louder. Then it faded. His mind had all but dismissed it when it returned, louder than before. The water around him grew choppier. Lethargically, he forced back his eyelids. The orange belly of a flying beast was above him. He couldn't bring himself to do anything but stare in utter disbelief. Lost at sea with no hope of rescue and now… A monster was here to eat him. He decided now would be a good time to close his eyes again. Maybe it would just go away.

It didn't.

"DANNY!"

Great. It knew his name too.

Something encircled his chest from behind. He panicked and instinctively tried to pull away. All he could muster in his hypothermic state was a weak attempt.

The hold around his chest tightened. Danny looked down at it for the first time. It was an arm. With a watch. Attached to a wetsuit.

The beast above was a USCG short range recovery helicopter.

"DANNO!"

It took a long moment for the nickname to register. When it did, a different kind of wave assaulted him. A flood of relief hit him with force and his body sagged. He reached up, crossed his own arm over Steve's, and held on for dear life.

His partner did the rest.


	12. The Search

Author's Notes: Again, thank you _so much_ to everyone who's read and reviewed thus far. I read each of your comments and try and make note of what was enjoyed and what could be done better. Many people who commented here and at my journal said they wanted to see more involving the story presented in the last chapter. So here you go. "The Search" is a prequel to "Adrift". The sequel will most likely come next.

* * *

With intense focus, Steve McGarrett systematically searched the sea for his missing partner. The pilot broke in upon his lengthy concentration.

"Commander? Incoming call for you."

There was a brief pause over the headset before the voice of Chin Ho came through loud and clear. "Steve?"

His eyes never left the water. "Tell me you have good news."

"We made the deal. Henson just took off. Your friends over at Naval Intelligence are tracking him by satellite."

"What about Danny?" he asked urgently.

The deal had been safe passage in exchange for the whereabouts of Detective Danny Williams. Chin quickly conveyed a set of coordinates.

Steve's facial expression contorted. "Say again."

He started to read them back. His boss cut him off.

"That can't be right. That's the wrong side of the island. Why would he take his boat from Keehi and dump Danny to the east? That's extra time and distance."

"What if he took a different boat?"

He shook his head even though Chin wasn't there to see it. It suddenly made sense. He could have kicked himself for not recognizing it earlier. "He doesn't have any _reason_ to tell us the truth. Danny's a witness for the prosecution. Henson _wants _him dead. It's a win-win scenario. He gets passage and Danny drowns in the open ocean."

A long pause followed. Chin's voice was tainted with doubt. "What if we're-"

"We're _not_," Steve countered adamantly. They weren't wrong. Danny was out there. All they had to do was keep searching.

The unequivocal show of confidence was the bolster Chin needed. He picked back up at his normal clip. "Kono's on the ground at Barbers Point. As soon as they have that second helicopter refueled, they'll be back in the air."

Steve nodded. "Understood. As soon as Catherine has a projected landing, contact the local PD and-"

It was then that something caught his eye. His breathing hitched. His hopes soared. He strained to get a better look, to either confirm or dismiss, not daring to contemplate which would be worse.

"Steve? You still there?"

The inquiry might as well have fallen on deaf ears.

"Man Overboard, Starboard Side! Ten thousand feet at two o'clock!"

The helicopter banked. He stripped off his headset, threw off his harness, and grabbed his goggles and fins. The thumbs up to dive came just three minutes later. To Steve, it was an eternity.


	13. Real Men

"_What_ is that?" Steve demanded as he drove.

Danny made a face. "What does it look like? It's a handkerchief."

"Nobody carries those anymore," Steve countered.

"Nobody? _Nobody?_ Hello!" He waved from the passenger seat.

"Well nobody under the age of eighty."

"So now I'm not only 'nobody', I'm old too?"

"I'm just sayin'."

"No. Real men? Real men wear ties, boxers, and carry handkerchiefs."

Steve scoffed. "'Real men'? What the hell does that-"

Danny lifted the handkerchief to his nose.

"You're not going to-"

He blew. Hard. Then he drew it back to have a look. The snot was yellow-green. Fun.

Steve's expression morphed into disgust. "You're inspecting it. Do you know how _wrong _that is?"

Danny didn't bother to hide his smirk. He proceeded then to fold it up in order to put it away.

"What? You're going to save it for later?"

"What do you _want _me to do with it? I could leave it here in the car."

His partner shot him a look of contempt.

"So I take it home and wash it."

"No. You take it home and _burn _it."

Danny paused. "Why are you so uptight about this?"

"I am _not _uptight."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm _not_."

"You're just saying you disagree."

"_Yes_."

"Okay. I can handle that."

A silence settled between them that lasted for miles. It was Steve who finally broke it.

"Real men use Kleenex."


	14. Regrets

Spoiler Warning: References to "Mana'o".

* * *

Steve wandered in without warning and found a place to perch on the edge of the desk like he'd done many times before. Danny didn't look up. He sat uncharacteristically still, regarding a framed picture he held in his hands. It was a picture of his ex-wife holding their daughter in her arms. They looked happy.

The expression on the detective's face was a mix of many emotions. Among them, Steve was sure he saw both regret and sorrow. Given recent events, it didn't come as much of a surprise.

"You okay?"

His gaze lifted but sank again a moment later. "Yeah," he replied in a noncommittal tone.

"You thinking about Grace?"

The smile that rose to his lips and vanished in an instant held very little humor. "No. Actually, I was thinking of Rachel."

Danny looked at the picture for a final minute and then placed it back on his desk in its usual location. "Amy called. She said the funeral is scheduled for tomorrow. Two o'clock. There's a reception afterward. We're all invited."

Steve nodded in acknowledgement. The gesture however went unobserved. Danny's eyes were now on the picture of the Brooklyn Bridge that hung on his wall. When he finally spoke again, his voice was subdued. "I wonder how many nights she spent waiting up for me. Thinking the worst."

His partner listened in silence.

"It's not fair to them. Never knowing when the call might come. Knowing there's a pretty good chance it won't be 'if' but 'when'. Knowing they'll have to bury you if something goes wrong."

There was a pause as he mulled it over. "How can they _live _that way?"

The answer was tragic but true. Not all of them could.


	15. The Rescue

Author's Notes: This is part one of two in a sequel for "Adrift" and "The Search". Thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed! I'm glad you're enjoying the ride.

* * *

Danny tried to make sense of what was going on around him but circumstances were changing rapidly. He was only in familiar hands for what seemed like a second. Then he was being maneuvered into a cage. Reflexively, he body tensed. To be rescued and then promptly abandoned was a crushing blow to his already battered psyche.

A hand at his arm soothed his irrational fear. It moved from there to support his neck. A second later, Danny's head came to rest on something soft.

"DANNY, YOU'RE GOING UP! I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Steve yelled over the noise from the helicopter. He gave the signal and the basket began to rise. The crew above reeled Danny in.

The transition from drifting in the ocean to dangling in the air would have been difficult for even a healthy man to achieve. Danny was already grasping reality with a tentative hold. Somewhere in the back of his brain, a little voice spurted its opinion. If man had been meant to fly, he would have been given wings. His stomach rolled in protest to the swaying movement and his eyes slid shut in self preservation.

The orange bellied beast swallowed an unconscious man.


	16. Tradition

"We ready?"

Grace nodded.

"Turkey?"

"Check."

"Stuffing?"

"Check."

"Corn?"

She nodded again.

"Cranberry sauce?"

She paused, taking a quick look at what was present on the table. Eventually, she was forced to shake her head.

"This? This does not offend me. It comes out shaped like the can it came in. It's an affront to nature. Green bean casserole?" he asked, continuing the inventory.

"Yup."

"Rolls?"

"A whole bag. They're sweet, too!"

"Family and friends?"

Her gaze traveled from Danny, to Kono, to Chin Ho, and finally to Steve. "All here."

"You want to say grace, Monkey?"

She grinned. "GRACE!"


	17. Improbabilities

Author's Notes: This drabble was written for the prompt "Nightmare". It will eventually become a small part in a much longer story. Part four of "Adrift" is up next. Thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed!

* * *

Danny never imagined in a millions years a pair of handcuffs being placed on him by a fellow officer. Kono couldn't keep the tears from her eyes as she executed the warrant. For a moment, they locked gazes. It was Danny who looked away first. There were no apologies or explanations. It was her duty and he wasn't about to make it any harder than it already was. There would be a time and a place. This wasn't it.

"Detective Danny Williams, you're under arrest for the murder of Lt. Cmdr. Steve McGarrett."

His personal nightmare was only just beginning.


	18. Aftermath

Author's Notes: This is the fourth and final part to the "Adrift" series. I hope you enjoy! Also, as always, thank you so much for the reviews.

* * *

Warmth was the first sensation Danny registered upon his gradual return to consciousness. It not only encompassed him. It radiated from within. The two combined were intoxicating. Part of him didn't want to wake up. His cocoon drove away all worldly woes. There was an absence of pain or uncertainty. Here he was completely safe. Alongside warmth came stillness and silence. The silence however was short lived. The sound of his own breathing filtered in. It was followed by slow, rhythmic beeping. A far away but familiar voice was distinguishable over them both. It was that voice that caused Danny to finally open his eyes.

His world had been rotated. It took him a moment of staring blankly to comprehend that it was only his perception that was skewed. He was lying on his left side in a fetal position. Without searching, Danny found the owner of the voice.

With one hand, Steve McGarrett held the cell phone to his ear. With the other spread wide, he massaged his forehead. He purposefully kept his volume as low as he could. It did nothing to detract from the tone of authority conveyed. "Call me as soon as you have him in custody," he ordered. "Yeah, I'll be up."

He pocketed the phone and dropped heavily into the vacant chair. His posture slumped. His gaze dropped. Wearily, he crossed his arms over a shirt that looked like it had been worn for days. It was difficult to read his expression in profile at an odd angle. Danny guessed it was somewhere between worried and anxious. It was the look Steve got when something wasn't right.

Steve looked up and found a pair of open eyes staring at him. Immediately he was on his feet again, closing the short distance between them. There was energy in his step that had been lacking only moments before. "Welcome back, partner."

There was a pause as Danny gathered enough brain power to formulate a simple response. "You… look like shit," he muttered.

Steve smiled and looked away for a brief second. The tension vanished from his shoulders and neck. "Look who's talking. You're not going to win any beauty contests yourself."

It was Danny's turn to offer a weak smile.

"How you feeling?"

It was a good and honest question. One he was sure he had an answer to. One he _ought _to have an answer to. His brain though refused to produce anything coherent. Wading through molasses was frustrating at best. Steve sensed the struggle and saved him the expenditure.

"Relax, Danny. It'll come."

It did almost a full minute later. "Tired," he finally answered. It was a million different emotions boiled down to an over simplification but it would work for the time being.

Steve nodded, understanding at some level the broader sense of the term. "Why don't you get some more sleep?"

It somehow seemed wrong to give into it so soon after waking. Danny had a feeling sleep would imminently reclaim whether he desired it or not. Regardless, he fought it.

"You're stubborn, you know that, right?" There was a distinct lack of exasperation in his voice.

"Look who's talking," he whispered back, using Steve's own words against him. His smile and what was left of his will to remain awake faded together.

Steve waited until he was sure Danny was asleep. Then he pulled the chair over closer to the bed. He'd waited six hours. Without so much as a second thought, he'd wait many more.


	19. Jellyfish

"I hate them," Danny stated vehemently.

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

"Didn't I mention? I. Hate. Them."

"Don't hold back on my account."

"HATE! Capital 'H'!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

"Hate. Detest. Abhor! What part of this declaration do you not understand?"

Steve seemed mildly impressed. "Abhor. Is that like ergo?"

"'Is that like-' NO! One is a verb! The other is an adverb! They are not the same!"

"So if I got a couple for Grace for Christmas, you'd be okay with that?"

"Would the tank be big enough to drown you in?"


	20. No Escape

Warning: Spoilers for "Palekaiko"

* * *

Chin's explanation hung in the silence between them. Disbelief lasted only several seconds. Then every emotion Steve thought he'd laid to rest years ago swelled to the surface. His chest grew tight with grief. His hands curled into clenched fists. His head began to spin with anger. A teenager's anger, directed at the world for its lack of fairness, was replaced by an adult's focused fury. Whoever killed his mother was going to die. Steve didn't know when or where. He didn't know how. He just knew he'd make it happen. Then his parents' murderers could burn in hell together.


	21. Pickles

Author's Note: Spoilers for "Palekaiko".

* * *

"Hey," Danny said to Kono and Chin around a mouthful of pickles. "You tried these? They're good."

The jar was one of many from a larger box. It was Kono who made the connection first. "Those aren't-"

The return address belonged to the hospital. "Should we tell him?"

He immediately stopped chewing. "Tell me what?"

Kono's only response was revulsion.

"Tell me what?"

"Those are specimen jars," Chin announced. "From Bergman's lab."

Danny's reaction was instantaneous. His eyes grew wide. He shoved the jar into Kono's hands. Then he ran.

He flushed the pickles and his record down the toilet.


	22. Love you Monkey

"I like him," Grace stated.

It took a moment for the declaration to sink in. She'd never expressed an opinion on her Stepfather in her father's presence before. Danny's surprise was short-lived. It was replaced by jealousy and an irrational sense of betrayal. Immediately, he was ashamed. As much as he tried to will them away, they remained.

She watched the expression on his face change. "Is it okay to like him, Daddy?"

"Yeah. It's okay to like him, Monkey," he forced himself to say.

"You look sad."

He opened his mouth to reply. Instead, he silently pulled her close.


	23. Santa Duty

Author's Notes: Language warning. This was written as a Christmas gift for lillyg. If you'd like your own little Christmas present, please feel free to look me up on lj. Same username. Also, a great big thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed thus far. I love reading your comments. :)

* * *

"Will you be Santa next year?"

The question caught Steve off guard. After a second, he pointed to himself and offered her a quizzical expression. He couldn't think of anyone _less _well suited to play the part. "You want _me _to be Santa?"

She smiled. "Yeah."

His gaze traveled to Danny, who had a hand half covering his face, trying his best not to laugh. No help there. "I don't think the costumes come in my size," he finally said.

"You helped Daddy fix _his _costume."

He shot his partner a glare.

"She's got you there, babe," Danny pointed out smugly.

Retreat. Regroup. Try again. "Yeah, but your Dad playing Santa is a family tradition. He does it _every _year. He looks forward to it. I wouldn't want to deprive him of that."

Before Grace had a chance to reply, Danny jumped back into the conversation. "Hey. If Grace is okay with it, I'm okay with it," he explained nonchalantly, cutting off that avenue of excuse.

"I'm okay with it!" She echoed back gleefully.

Steve was going to kill him. If he made it to next Christmas at all, it would be a miracle. When he looked back down at Grace, her pleading eyes stared up at him and a moment of weakness came over him. "I'll do it," he blurted out.

Her face lit up and she threw her arms around him, giving him a huge hug. Steve returned the hug and let her go when she pulled away.

"Thank you!" In delight, she skipped off to her room with her new Barbie in hand.

They both watched her go.

It took Steve a moment to fully fathom what he'd just agreed to. He leaned sideways toward Danny and with a completely straight face announced, "Ho ho ho, bitch."


	24. The Third Man

A/N: Again, thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed. I appreciate it very much. This was originally written in January. It's out of date but still... Happy to post.

* * *

Something about it didn't sit right. It took Steve hours to figure out what.

"Did that seem too easy to you?"

Danny looked at him like he'd grown another head. "Easy? You thought that was easy?"

"Did you see the look on his face when we told him his fingerprints were on the box? He was surprised."

"Of course he was surprised! We caught him with his hands in the trash," he shot back.

"If they didn't want Mary to be found, why'd they leave her cell phone on her?"

Danny had to admit it was a good question. If they haven't found Mary in time, the sequence of events may never have culminated in Noshimuri's arrest. "They didn't search her," he said, offering up the only solution that seemed plausible.

"You buy that?"

At first he didn't answer. "They didn't search her _well_? They could have missed it," he commented dubiously.

"Come on, Danny. This is the Yakuza we're talking about. No Mary, no Yakuza. No Yakuza, no bar. No bar, no box. No box, no prints." He walked through the entire series of events using his hands to emphasis.

"So you're saying what? _You_ don't buy it?"

Steve leaned forward on his elbows and for a brief second let his gaze fall to the table top. He didn't want to give voice to his own fears. "What if this isn't about my family?"

Danny's hands shot out of his pockets. "That's crazy! _This_ is the man who had your father killed. His own _brother_ did the work!"

"Who then died in a car bomb blast just like the one-" He cut himself short, his anger flaring. He didn't want to take it out on Danny.

For a moment, there was silence between them as they mentally confronted the possibilities and cooled their jets.

Danny's put his hands back in his pockets. "So what do you want to do?" he finally asked.

Steve leaned back in his chair, slightly disheartened. He so desperately wanted this to be cut and dry. His instincts told him it wasn't. "I want to know more about the third guy."

"What third guy?"

"There was another guy on the golf coarse that day."

"You catch a name?"

"Wo Fat."

The name was easy to remember. It stood out in Steve's memory as clearly as the expression he'd seen on the man's face. As he'd been driven away, Wo Fat couldn't have been more pleased with himself.

No. The game was far from over.


	25. Say Goodbye

A/N: Written in February.

* * *

"Where did he go?"

Danny hesitated, wiping his hand over the bottom half of his face. The man she'd grown to idolize was a criminal. Despite the truth, he couldn't bring himself to shatter the image his daughter had built of her uncle. Only God knew whether or not they would ever see him again. "He had some business he needed to take care of," he painfully settled on.

"He didn't stay very long," Grace commented, her voice sad.

"No, he didn't."

"He didn't even say good-bye." Disappointment laced every word.

"He wanted to, Monkey. He wanted to," he whispered.


	26. Common Cents

A/N: Also written in February. Inspired by the line: "Unlike you, he doesn't care how the bill is split."

* * *

"Fries and a burger."

"And a drink," Steve added to Danny's comment.

"And a drink. What? Are you going to calculate down to the last penny?"

Steve reached into his pocket.

"Tell me you are _not_ pulling out your phone to-"

He started pushing buttons.

"Tell me that's not the calculator."

There was no reply from across the table.

"You are _unbelievable. _It's LUNCH! Haven't you ever heard of 'it all evens out'? I buy YOU lunch. You buy ME lunch. That's how it works!" He gestured to himself with both hands.

Steve looked up, unfazed. "You covering the tip?"


	27. Promises To Keep

A/N: Spoilers to Uw Lawe Wale.

* * *

A persistent knock pounded at her door. It wasn't the first time today and Kono was sure it wouldn't be the last. Friends and reporters alike sought to invader her privacy, to offer sympathies or to pry for information. Instead of answering, she buried her tear streaked face deeper into the pillow and tried to ignore it.

"Kono."

The insistent voice belonged to McGarrett.

"Come on, Kono. Open up."

The same words hadn't worked for either Chin or Danny.

"Kono if you don't open the door, I'll kick it in."

A miserable knot twisted in her stomach. She knew he'd do it too. Couldn't they just leave her along?

Begrudgingly she threw the pillow aside and stalked to the door. A stern faced McGarrett greeted her as she defiantly threw it open. She stared at him angrily. He silently stared back.

Before his eyes, her expression morphed from anger to sadness in the span of seconds. Starved for comfort, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. The tears instantly turned to sobbing.

Steve swallowed hard and gathered her close.

"It's okay," he whispered. "We'll make it right. I promise."

She wanted with her whole heart to believe him.


	28. Miles To Go

A/N: Again, spoilers to Uw Lawe Wale. (Part 2 of an episode related drabble series.)

* * *

Something was wrong. Steve knew it the moment he laid eyes on Danny. Disbelief and worry could be seen in his expression as he approached. He pushed open the glass door to Steve's office without knocking and leaned in. "You need to see this," he said, uncharacteristically subdued.

Without a word of explanation, he retreated.

Chin was waiting for them when they arrived in the common area. With crossed arms, he stood looking down at the massive touch screen. The look on his face mirrored Danny's.

_Not good._

"What've we got?" he asked, taking a precursory glance at the screen. Five digital pictures were displayed. Two profiled faces could be seen in each, partially obscured. From the similarities in pose, he deduced they were taken in short succession. One was a woman. The other was a police officer.

When neither Danny nor Chin answered his inquiry, he looked up expectantly.

It was Danny who silently gestured, returning Steve's attention to the pictures. It was only then that Steve took a really good look at the images.

His eyes grew wide.

_No._

"That's not-"

"Wo Fat," Chin answered.

"Look at who's next to him," Danny instructed.

His gaze shifted. Even with a portion of her face missing, the woman was easily identifiable as-

"Kaye," he breathed out, horrified. His chest was suddenly tight.

_That's impossible. She wouldn't- _

An uncomfortable silence fell over the team as Steve reeled.

"Where'd these come from?" he finally demanded.

Chin selected one of the shots and zoomed out. "Judging from what's in the background, I'd say these were taken by the prison surveillance system. They were here on the desktop when I came in."

_Hesse._

"But you checked all the feeds-"

"I did," he countered.

"Then how-"

"I don't know," Chin answered honestly.

"Could they be doctored?"

"They don't appear to be."

_No, no, no-_

He sighed heavily and ran a hand down over his face. Questions collided in his brain. Was she working for him? For how long? Was she there under duress? Why? What part if any did she play in the murder of Victor Hesse? Had they been compromised? If so, how badly? The overwhelming sense of betrayal made it difficult to separate the issues.

_What are you doing, Kaye?_

There were too many questions and not enough answers.

"Check with TSA, Danny. I want to know if she got on her plane."


	29. Mumbai

A/N: Possible spoilers for the latest episode.

* * *

"Going my way, sailor?"

Steve grinned. As he listened to the rest of her cryptic message though, the smile disappeared.

"Tomorrow. Twenty-one hundred."

No place. No explanation.

Then he remembered.

Mumbai.

She'd picked him up at the USO years ago using those very words.

He caught the next plane out.

At twenty-three hundred, he was still waiting.

A pair of MPs interrupted his beer.

"Could you please come with us, Commander?"

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "What's this about?"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about the murder of Lt. Catherine Rollins."


	30. Last Fish

"Last fish?" Steve looked to Danny with an amused and dubious expression, asking the question hours later out of the blue.

"Last fish," Danny responded adamantly without skipping a beat.

"How much you wanna bet?"

"Bet? BET? No, I don't think so, my friend. Paying Kamekona for his 'knife skills' was insulting enough."

"You don't want to take the bet because you think you'll lose."

"I'm not taking the bet because knowing you tomorrow I'll come into the office and find a tuny on my desk."

Silence.

"That was not a suggestion."

More silence.

"No! No tuny!"

Steve just grinned.


	31. Voice

(A/N: Spoilers for 'Popilikia' 3x4. Quotes directly from the episode. Prompt word from lj hawaii-5-0-100: Voice.)

"Do you believe her?" Danny asked.

He wanted more than anything in the world to answer yes. He wanted to believe his mother hadn't just lied to his face with the ease that came with years of practice. He wanted to believe that family was still the most important part of her life. He wanted to think of her as something other than the enemy.

But he couldn't ignore the voice of instinct that whispered authoritatively in the back of his brain. It was a voice that couldn't be ignored.

He told his partner and friend the unfortunate truth.

"No."


	32. Sleeping Together

(A/N: Possible spoilers for extended preview to "Mohai".)

* * *

Grace tapped Catherine on the knee. "Daddy and Uncle Steve are sleeping together," she announced nonchalantly.

Startled, she opened her mouth to immediately refute the notion. Then she caught glance of Steve and Danny on the other end of the sofa. Danny's head was nestled on Steve's shoulder. Steve's arm was wrapped around his shoulders, his head resting on top of Danny's. Both were sound asleep.

What could she say? They really were at this very moment literally sleeping together. She smiled and shook her head. Careful not to obstruct Grace's view of the show or wake the sleeping duo, she reached over and took the popcorn bowl from Danny's lap. "I love this movie," she whispered to the bumble bee beside her.

"Me too," the little girl echoed.


End file.
